


From Far Far Away

by oldmythologies



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Astral Plane Shenanigans, M/M, Tragedy, referenced character death, this is really weird and I have no idea how to tag it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-22 06:45:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10691880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oldmythologies/pseuds/oldmythologies
Summary: Ulaz was more than happy to die for the greater good.Prompt: What do you mean there's no way out?





	From Far Far Away

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt fic: "What do you mean there's no way out?" from [melonbugg](http://melonbugg.tumblr.com) on tumblr.

Ulaz did not want to die of hunger. With the life he'd lived, he deserved a death far worse.

Growing up with the Galra, Ulaz had always been told he was made for something greater. They told him that he'd save their people, that he'd save the whole universe. All through his education, as the Blade groomed him for something better, he believed that he would change the world.

He learned medicine, he learned engineering, he learned how to build a person. He learned how to destroy one. All for the greater good, he was told. It was always for the greater good. All the creatures that passed his table while undercover with Zarkon were for the greater good. Every mangled limb, every experiment, every single lab rat lost was for the greater good.

That's what he kept telling himself.

And then Shiro came along. Shiro was a fighter. Shiro fought in the arena, he fought Ulaz and the rest of the doctors, and he fought the loss of hope that consumed most of the prisoners. But everyone fought at first. Every lab rat fought, and lost, for the greater good.

It had been almost a year and Shiro hadn't lost yet. Ulaz had never seen anything like it. Ulaz had never seen a fire so bright that even his ministrations could not put it out. When he was ordered to replace the man's arm with something better, Ulaz thought that he would finally kill that spark; the man only burned brighter, inspiring others, bringing a light to the dark.

When Ulaz was ordered to take the other arm as well, he knew he had to do something. It wasn't right to keep stepping on a fire like that, not when it worked so hard to stay lit. Ulaz worked his whole life for the greater good. There was no greater good than this man, worn down by his year, his hair bleached and his body scarred.

He needed to let this light go home, to spread his fire to everyone else. There was no greater good, and Ulaz was too dark by then to spread the light himself.

So he freed the man. It was the least he could do. All he could do was wait for the light to find its way back to him.

When it, he, finally did, Ulaz was more than happy to die for the greater good.

And so he sat in his small ship in the pocket dimension, surrounding by heaps of destroyed Robeast, waiting for a pleasant death. It wasn't fair. He remembered all the deaths he'd caused and resigned himself to dying too well.

The stars were beautiful from here, warped and purple through the fold of space. Time worked differently, he knew, but didn't mind. He was content watching the stars shimmer, remembering the life he'd lived and hoping, maybe, in the end, he'd done something for the greater good.

He was used to the pattern of the stars, how they would flicker evenly and in rhythm. They danced and sang in front of his eyes when one hit a note at fortissimo.

The cockpit lit up, blinding him for more than a moment, eyes adjusting to the change. As soon as he could focus, he thought he saw something floating in the air above him.

_ No, it couldn't be _ .

He heard a thud. The light was gone as quickly as it came and his slit irises once again had to adjust to the darkness. As soon as he could see, Ulaz decided that the universe was lying to him.

There was absolutely no way his light would return to him once more. There was no way he deserved that.

Yet there he was. Shiro lay on the cold metal floor beside him in full paladin armor, unconscious.

_ That's not good _ .

He shifted over to sit on his knees and went to grab Shiro's left wrist to find a pulse.

His hand went straight through the flesh. 

Shiro jolted awake, sitting up ramrod straight and sucking in a breath.Shiro's eyes fell upon him and Ulaz was sure that the wide eyed confusion was mirrored on his own face.

"Ulaz?" he whispered.

"Shiro," responded Ulaz.

They took a moment to breathe in the sight of each other. Shiro's brows squinted.

"What happened?”

"I am not sure. The sky brightened, and suddenly, you were here."

Shiro looked around, standing up on surprisingly steady legs. Ulaz followed, ears scraping the ceiling.

"Where are we?"

"This is the dimension I was trapped in after our... encounter... with Haggar's beast."

Shiro nodded.

"How do we get out?"

"There is no way out."

"What do you mean there's no way out?"

"The dimension is sealed. There is no way in or out."

Shiro took a moment to absorb. When a thought came to him.

"How am I here?"

"I don't believe you are."

Shiro didn't understand. Ulaz reached out to touch his shoulder. Shiro followed the movement. They both shuddered as Ulaz’s arm passed straight through Shiro's arm.

Shiro spent a moment staring at his shoulder, the point of contact, before looking up at the alien man.

They maintained the gaze for a moment before Shiro released the breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Ulaz,"

"Yes, Shiro."

"Where  _ are  _ we?"

"I already told you?"

Shiro reached up his hand ghosting over Ulaz's sharp jaw.

"We're not in the same place."

Ulaz looked down at him.

"Possibly not."

They breathed in tandem.

"I thought you were dead."

"I will be."

Shiro clenched his fist, pulling it down to his side in one rapid movement.

"I won't let you die."

There it was, that fire that Ulaz loved so much. Even as a ghost, he retained it.

_ Oh no. _

_ "Shiro,  _ how are you here?"

Shiro's brows furled, two creases forming between them.

"I don't know, there was," he paused.

"We were fighting?"

His eyes widened, and he started walking, no particular destination. His hand threaded back through his white fringe.

"Ulaz, we need to get out of here, I need to see my team, we need to make sure they're alright, how could I leave them when--"

" _ Shiro. _ "

He stopped pacing and looked at Ulaz.

"Are you--" Ulaz swallowed. "Are you sure you're," he paused once more, " _ alive _ ?"

Shiro blinked up at him, still pulling at his own hair.

"Of course I'm alive."

Ulaz just looked at him.

"I can't be dead. There's no way I'm dead, I would remember dying, right?"

His breathing picked up.

"Of course I'm alive, I don't remember dying, I just..."

He sat on the ground, more of a semi-controlled fall than an intentional movement.

"I was just there..."

Ulaz sat next to him as Shiro absorbed the possibility. He was only inches away from Shiro, leaning back on his hands as he gazed out. The stars had resumed their usual song. When Ulaz glanced back at Shiro, he saw the tears welling up, reflecting the purple gleam of space.

"I don't want to die."

Ulaz looked back out the massive window.

"Neither do I."

Shiro watched Ulaz for a moment before placing his hand over Ulaz's much larger one. His fingers merged with Ulaz's claws, but neither of them moved away, the pleasant buzz of the contact remaining. His eyes returned to the stars.

"I had so many questions."

"As did I, my spark."

Shiro smiled. "None of it really matters, does it."

The silence was anything but uncomfortable, keeping time with the blinking lights in front of him.

"I'm glad I got to know you," Ulaz spoke into the sky, the space next to him once again empty.

He hoped that his spark had made it home safe.

**Author's Note:**

> More experimental one shots! Apparently they're all I write. 
> 
> I'm always accepting prompts on my [tumblr](http://oldmythos.tumblr.com)!


End file.
